# Tubos in the humidor



## K. Corleon (Jul 22, 2010)

Do any of you leave your cigars in their tubos inside your humi? I'm trying to understand why anyone would do this or if it doesn't matter if you leave them in their tubos or out of them. Common sense would think that if they are in the tubo they can't get the proper humidity right?


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## JGD (Mar 2, 2009)

I leave mine in. Tubos are not airtight, however, they provide another line of resistance against the air. So, the air inside and out will interchange, just at a slower rate.


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## thebayratt (Jun 4, 2009)

I leave mine in the tube with the caps off.


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## Seminole (Apr 9, 2010)

thebayratt said:


> I leave mine in the tube with the caps off.


Same here.


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## jeepthing (Jul 16, 2009)

I just leave them as is


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## johnmoss (Jun 18, 2010)

thebayratt said:


> I leave mine in the tube with the caps off.


Me too


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## ptpablo (Aug 22, 2010)

i leave mine in but with the tops off and same with the cellos, in but i open the bottoms..a little tip i learned here...


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## Chris Rex (Aug 12, 2010)

I opened a tubo (R & J) once that had mold in it. It had been in my humidor for about 2 months, and the conditions were perfect. No other cigars exhibited any bad signs. Now I open them right away. :martini:


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## thegoldenmackid (Mar 16, 2010)

I leave them in tubos.


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## d_day (Aug 24, 2008)

I'll spot check a few for mold. If no mold I leave them in. If I find mold I take them out and clean them up, and leave them out of the tube.


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## smelvis (Sep 7, 2009)

So I guess since I leave mine in as well the only person without common sense is the OP Now that's funny


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## JGD (Mar 2, 2009)

smelvis said:


> So I guess since I leave mine in as well the only person without common sense is the OP Now that's funny


Dave, have you ever bought a tubo before? Come on man... You've probably never even seen one.


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## ChazHollywood (Nov 4, 2009)

No harm in leaving them in the tube, at least in terms of maintaining humidity. While its true humidity mostly can't get in, the moisture already in the tube can't get out any better so its not like they're going to dry out in there.

Where the tube is going to work against you is air exchange. A lot of people believe you need some air circulation around your cigars to facilitate aging. Seems plausible enough to me that I always at least take the tops off. Usually I just take 'em out of the tubes entirely. More exposure to the air, and they take up less space.

-Charles


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## smelvis (Sep 7, 2009)

jadeg001 said:


> Dave, have you ever bought a tubo before? Come on man... You've probably never even seen one.


I was thinking about googling so I could play with you guy's but when I tryied there was so much info to read I was overwhelmed and stopped.

Good luck and LMK how tubo work.


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## Rosie (Jul 10, 2010)

Glass tubes, I just leave them out of the humi. They are fine even after long periods of time. It doesn't make any sense for me to take them out of the tube, since the only reason I buy tubos in the first place is for a cigar "on the go".

Aluminum tubes, I put in the humi. They don't seem to hold humidity nearly as well as the glass ones.

Cheers,

Rosie


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## jessejava187 (Aug 25, 2009)

smelvis said:


> So I guess since I leave mine in as well the only person without common sense is the OP Now that's funny


 Im with dave if they are made in Tubos then they are stored like that, Look at the B&M they dont take every cap off before they put them in the walk in, I would guess that cigar makers know that tubes are fine or they wouldnt use them.


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## Mante (Dec 25, 2009)

d_day said:


> I'll spot check a few for mold. If no mold I leave them in. If I find mold I take them out and clean them up, and leave them out of the tube.


This is what I do but I check every tubo. If they look fine they go in the humi in tubes. If there is mold they get wiped off & quarantined naked so I can keep an eye on them.


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## yellowgrip (Aug 27, 2010)

I remove all packaging (except for the box when aging) before storing them in my Humidors.


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## Jordan303 (Aug 16, 2008)

The way they come is the way I leave them. If its good enough for the guys producing them, and the b&m. Then it sure is good enough for me.


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## Nurse_Maduro (Oct 23, 2008)

thebayratt said:


> I leave mine in the tube with the caps off.


+1. :thumb:


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## Mr. Slick (Aug 17, 2010)

If the tube is sealed I leave it alone.

If it is not sealed I take them out of the tube completely because those tubes take up valuable humidor space.


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## TonyBrooklyn (Jan 28, 2010)

thebayratt said:


> I leave mine in the tube with the caps off.


 Yep mee too


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## aea6574 (Jun 5, 2009)

Well, I guess I learned another thing today. I always just leave them the way they come. Looks like I should start taking the caps off. And just make sure I remember which caps go with which cigars.

Best regards, tony


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## JohnnyFlake (May 31, 2006)

The best thing you can do, is leave them untouched in the tubes. The factory designed that cigar and stored it in a tubo and that's the way it should be left until you are ready to smoke it. Tubes are designed not to be completely air tight and after the cigars are placed in tubes and sealed, at the factory, every single one of them begins to develop a micro-climate within the tube. Although the aging process is a bit slower, the cigar will age and become far better over time, than if you had taken them out of the tubes. The very same is true with cello wrappers.

Do not open the tubes to check the cigars before placing them in your humidor. If you do, you will destroy the micro-climate that has started within the tube. Even if you seal the tube back up right away, you've changed every thing and the process will have to start over.

*Leave them be!*


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## Nurse_Maduro (Oct 23, 2008)

JohnnyFlake said:


> Do not open the tubes to check the cigars before placing them in your humidor. If you do, you will destroy the micro-climate that has started within the tube. Even if you seal the tube back up right away, you've changed every thing and the process will have to start over.
> 
> *Leave them be!*


Not to confuse the issue, but there was a thread here a while back with several respected members stating that they felt that mold had a higher occurance in tubos sticks (based on their own experiences). I've never had that happen personally, but I now remove the cap from every tube and check them before putting them in the humi. I used to just toss the new boxes in the humi, but it'd sometimes be over a year before I even cracked the seal...if mold was brewing, I'd be out of luck.

So, YMMV.


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## gahdzila (Apr 29, 2010)

As a rule, I don't buy tubos. The only exceptions being gifts received, and a 5er I bought recently on sale so cheap that it was cheaper than the non-tubos of the same size.

That said, I've been just leaving them the way they come. Aluminum tubes with screw on caps go in the humidor the way they came. I once was gifted a Maker's Mark infused tubo...glass tube, and the cap was covered in melted wax (sample pic below). This one, I felt, was sealed sufficiently that I felt comfortable just leaving it out on the table.


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## JohnnyFlake (May 31, 2006)

gahdzila said:


> As a rule, I don't buy tubos. The only exceptions being gifts received, and a 5er I bought recently on sale so cheap that it was cheaper than the non-tubos of the same size.
> 
> That said, I've been just leaving them the way they come. Aluminum tubes with screw on caps go in the humidor the way they came. I once was gifted a Maker's Mark infused tubo...glass tube, and the cap was covered in melted wax (sample pic below). This one, I felt, was sealed sufficiently that I felt comfortable just leaving it out on the table.


You've brought up an interesting point! Occasionally, cigars are tubed in a completely air tight fashion. The one you mention is one of them, and yes they can be left out on your desk, dresser, etc. however, you should be careful that they are not in a place where sunshine can hit them for several hours a day. The cigars that come this way are almost always infused with something. Aging means nothing to this type of cigar!

There are a number of infused cigars that come that way. As far as I am aware, all that do are in glass tubes. I have never seen or heard of one that comes in an aluminum tube.


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## Nurse_Maduro (Oct 23, 2008)

JohnnyFlake said:


> You've brought up an interesting point! Occasionally, cigars are tubed in a completely air tight fashion. The one you mention is one of them, and yes they can be left out on your desk, dresser, etc. however, you should be careful that they are not in a place where sunshine can hit them for several hours a day. The cigars that come this way are almost always infused with something. Aging means nothing to this type of cigar!
> 
> There are a number of infused cigars that come that way. As far as I am aware, all that do are in glass tubes. I have never seen or heard of one that comes in an aluminum tube.


The glass tubes aren't actually airtight, as far as I know. There was an article in Cigar magazine a while back (I'll dig through them if anyone really wants to know more about it, or when it was published). They talked about a tube that Punch (I believe it was) put out that was airtight. The problem was that, because no air exchange could happen, every single stick in the production batch was ruined. Now, I believe, everyone in the industry has learned from Punch's costly mistake.

I'd still put it in a humi but, as it's clear, I wouldn't bother opening it. I'm should have said that I remove the caps from my aluminum tubos, not the crystals.


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## Habanolover (Feb 22, 2006)

Nurse_Maduro said:


> The glass tubes aren't actually airtight, as far as I know. There was an article in Cigar magazine a while back (I'll dig through them if anyone really wants to know more about it, or when it was published). They talked about a tube that Punch (I believe it was) put out that was airtight. *The problem was that, because no air exchange could happen, every single stick in the production batch was ruined.* Now, I believe, everyone in the industry has learned from Punch's costly mistake.
> 
> I'd still put it in a humi but, as it's clear, I wouldn't bother opening it. I'm should have said that I remove the caps from my aluminum tubos, not the crystals.


I don't understand that. Many, I won't say most but there are a whole lot, of serious collectors that wrap their boxes in Saran Wrap until airtight for aging. Some of us are of the opinion that air exchange *is not* a good thing unless you are planning on smoking the cigars young. I for one allow as little air exchange as possible on the stuff I am aging.


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## JGD (Mar 2, 2009)

Habanolover said:


> I don't understand that. Many, I won't say most but there are a whole lot, of serious collectors that wrap their boxes in Saran Wrap until airtight for aging. Some of us are of the opinion that air exchange *is not* a good thing unless you are planning on smoking the cigars young. I for one allow as little air exchange as possible on the stuff I am aging.


I've seen various serious collectors do this as well. Some will go as far as vacuum packing boxes for 10-20 years.


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## JohnnyFlake (May 31, 2006)

Nurse_Maduro said:


> *The glass tubes aren't actually airtight, as far as I know. * There was an article in Cigar magazine a while back (I'll dig through them if anyone really wants to know more about it, or when it was published). They talked about a tube that Punch (I believe it was) put out that was airtight. The problem was that, because no air exchange could happen, every single stick in the production batch was ruined. Now, I believe, everyone in the industry has learned from Punch's costly mistake.
> 
> I'd still put it in a humi but, as it's clear, I wouldn't bother opening it. I'm should have said that I remove the caps from my aluminum tubos, not the crystals.


Yes, your correct, with the exception of cigars that have been infused. They come in glass tubes only, and they are completely sealed, air tight!


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## Nurse_Maduro (Oct 23, 2008)

Habanolover said:


> I don't understand that. Many, I won't say most but there are a whole lot, of serious collectors that wrap their boxes in Saran Wrap until airtight for aging. Some of us are of the opinion that air exchange *is not* a good thing unless you are planning on smoking the cigars young. I for one allow as little air exchange as possible on the stuff I am aging.


Most curious. I'll have to find the article now; it's been a long time so it's possible I've completely hosed it. I've got supper to make though, so I'll let you guys know what I find in the morning.


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## Habanolover (Feb 22, 2006)

Nurse_Maduro said:


> Most curious. I'll have to find the article now; it's been a long time so it's possible I've completely hosed it. I've got supper to make though, so I'll let you guys know what I find in the morning.


I would like to see it if you can find it John.


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## JohnnyFlake (May 31, 2006)

Habanolover said:


> I don't understand that. Many, I won't say most but there are a whole lot, of serious collectors that wrap their boxes in Saran Wrap until airtight for aging. Some of us are of the opinion that air exchange *is not* a good thing unless you are planning on smoking the cigars young. I for one allow as little air exchange as possible on the stuff I am aging.


Yes, there are several schools of thought on this topic. I am somewhat in the middle. I do not agree on exposed cigars being placed in cedar trays or boxes with their lids removed, or the lids being held open slightly with wedges, being placed in long term storage for aging! Yet, I do not agree with cigars being sealed in such a way that the containers are air tight.

I am a firm believer that cigars should be stored in the packaging they come in from the factory. Even, if opened for inspection, the box should be closed and the cigars stored that way. That is my strongest believe and the reasoning, for me, is that is the way they are stored by the most well known cigar houses and emporiums in the world. The reasoning they do so, is that cigar leaf is constantly changing and evolving chemically, unless it become completely dried out and dead, so to speak. That process is ever so slow, but it is constantly occurring, and as the process takes place gases, are formed and those gases must be vented, or in time it will ruin the leaf. In a sealed, airtight container that venting cannot take place. Just my thoughts!


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## Nurse_Maduro (Oct 23, 2008)

Habanolover said:


> I would like to see it if you can find it John.


Found it. The article is on page 140 of the Spring 2006 issue of Cigar Magazine. Those of you who are interested in reading the entire article, PM me, with the promise that it won't appear anywhere else. Otherwise, I'm just going to paraphrase the appropriate section, as I don't wish to plagiarze someone else's work in a public forum (I'm sure Jon wouldn't appreciate it, either).

Basically, a cigar company (I did hose the name; the article doesn't give the name, only that they're based in Florida) had designed and distributed cigars in a plastic sleeve that allowed for NO air exchange. The article goes on to say that cigars smoked in the States contain approxiamtely 14 percent moisture and that the fact that there was no air exchange within the sleeve, combined with the moisture content, created a perfect environment for mold growth. It adds that, as Maduro and Connecticut wrappers are rolled even wetter, that this growth was particularly noticable on cigars with those wrappers.

It also states that, in particular, Hoyo de Monterrey and Punch had to recall a lot of their inventory for this reason, until the industry abandoned the usage of plastic tubes.

So, based on the above, I have to believe that, either the newer glass/poly tubes are created to somehow allow air exchange, or the sticks within are shipped dryer than normal.


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## quo155 (Aug 10, 2010)

Nurse_Maduro said:


> Found it. The article is on page 140 of the Spring 2006 issue of Cigar Magazine. Those of you who are interested in reading the entire article, PM me, with the promise that it won't appear anywhere else. Otherwise, I'm just going to paraphrase the appropriate section, as I don't wish to plagiarze someone else's work in a public forum (I'm sure Jon wouldn't appreciate it, either).
> 
> Basically, a cigar company (I did hose the name; the article doesn't give the name, only that they're based in Florida) had designed and distributed cigars in a plastic sleeve that allowed for NO air exchange. The article goes on to say that cigars smoked in the States contain approxiamtely 14 percent moisture and that the fact that there was no air exchange within the sleeve, combined with the moisture content, created a perfect environment for mold growth. It adds that, as Maduro and Connecticut wrappers are rolled even wetter, that this growth was particularly noticable on cigars with those wrappers.
> 
> ...


Thanks for the info...very informative...I will now look into this issue further...to see what is best for my area...as we should keep in mind that what works in Florida, may not work in NV, NY, or TX...I think the area we live in should be a factor to all of this as well...


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## Nurse_Maduro (Oct 23, 2008)

quo155 said:


> Thanks for the info...very informative...I will now look into this issue further...to see what is best for my area...as we should keep in mind that what works in Florida, may not work in NV, NY, or TX...I think the area we live in should be a factor to all of this as well...


Possibly, but no air + moisture would create the same internal environment no matter what it was like in the external environment, I would think.

In any case, it's pretty interesting stuff, and definitely has my curiousity piqued.


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## JohnnyFlake (May 31, 2006)

Nurse_Maduro said:


> So, based on the above, I have to believe that, either the newer glass/poly tubes are created to somehow allow air exchange, or the sticks within are shipped dryer than normal.


The caps, which are made of plastic, are designed to permit an exchange of gases and airflow.


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## foster0724 (Jun 9, 2010)

In tubes with cap off


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## Habanolover (Feb 22, 2006)

I wish they did make the tubes airtight as I would buy a lot more of them.


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## Chico57 (Nov 12, 2007)

thebayratt said:


> I leave mine in the tube with the caps off.


That's what I do.


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